Outdoor Wonders
by Cosmic Sky
Summary: Byleth had a plan, admittedly not a subtle plan, but one none the less. As with everything in life, said plan goes off track leaving him and one of his shyest students stranded for the night. Bernadetta had every right to be angry with him...but she wasn't. Sure, the outside world was scary and unpredictable, but it had its charms. So too did the people in it.


**Hello, everyone. Been a while since I stuck my toe back into the FE fandom, but with Three Houses around the corner I decided why the hell not. A school setting? Teachers? Students? Fire Emblem? My writing hand starting twitching and I've decided to indulge myself, even before Three Houses comes out. Around the time more information started coming out Bernadetta immediately caught my attention and held it as time progressed and her the details of her and other characters were revealed. **

**As I've already seen several Byleth shipping stories, some pre-timeskip and post, I've decided to throw my hat into the ring. I've got a few ideas for Three Houses and a few other installments so why not. **

**I do now own anything.**

* * *

At the very least she wasn't looking at him like she wanted to knife him in the face or gut. Then again, one could suspect that Bernadetta didn't have such violent anger in her. So far, the only time he'd ever seen something even remotely close to such a thing was on the battlefield when lives were on the line, hers and those of her classmates. Byleth had witnessed it with his own eyes and it'd caused his heart to beat with joy in seeing that the purple-haired girl could interact with others.

Which had led him to this current predicament.

"You know, I'm curious regarding how poorly this shall go. Personally, I believe she will find some hole in the ground and burrow in and remain until this stifling little exercise is over with." Chimed in the Byleth…actually, he still had little to no idea what to refer to Sothis as. He'd tried to the term "house guest" and gotten quite a lecture from the mysterious astral entity. Afterwards, he'd begun leaning towards calling her just that.

_You know, you could always do something constructive, like help me out. Just think about it, it may even make you feel like a better…whatever you are. _The still-green teacher shot back fighting back the urge to physically cross his arms. At the very least he'd grown somewhat used to these mental conversations. He could get a few sentences in without physically emoting. Sothis had responded in shock that he could emote.

Almost directly across from him, the long-haired girl flashed him an annoyed frown, then she smirked at him. Byleth had learned some of her habits just as she'd already formed some not entirely off-base assumptions about him.

The green-haired spectral girl liked to take advantage of the fact that no one but him could see and hear her. On the other hand, she could see and hear everything that went on in his world, the real world. There were very few ways she could interact with the real world, which made for some very teeth-gnashing fun on her part. Without a care, she strolled through the assembled group of students as if she were taking a leisure stroll through the monastery grounds like he liked to do. Except when he walked by people noticed him; being a spirit of some sort, Sothis was near completely invisible.

None of his students noticed the barefoot girl walking past them and their horses as they made the final preparations for the field lesson that was underway. In all honesty, Byleth actually found it just a tad funny at times. Sothis could go wherever she pleased and eavesdrop on any conversation she wanted, all without the occupants knowing.

Hubert would have suffered a heart attack had he learned this information. Afterwards, he likely would have set up sealing charms all over the place, no matter how ridiculous they looked or sounded requiring Edelgard herself to call him off. He had to admit, the mental image was enough to make his lips tick upwards in a light smile.

Catching his expression, Sothis chuckled as she came to a stop to "examine" another member of the class. "You honestly believe that one more little 'class assignment' will be enough to cure this one of her fear of the outside world? Bold, but a tad bit misguided. In my opinion, if that were your plan then why not do some 'survival training' as I have heard it is called. Leave her to her own devices in the outside and see if she has it in her to return. That would cure her freight, would it not?"

Had Bernadetta heard Sothis' words Byleth knew for a fact the poor girl would have fainted from shock and horror. Thankfully, she couldn't hear the green-haired girl or see her. Then again, if she was able to see Sothis, something told Byleth that the purple-haired girl still would have passed out.

She stood to the left of the assembled group, a mixture of students from the Black Eagers and Golden Deer. An attempt on his part at bridging the gap between the nobles and commoners that populated the Officer's Academy. Such a thing had merits as he could see his students interacting with one another, laughing and chatting. Raphael and Caspar were already trying to predict who would rack up the biggest victories with Leonie jumping in and proclaiming how she'd blow both of them out of the water. Byleth made a mental note to watch out for the three as they did have a tendency to get rather reckless when out in the field. Watching them surprisingly were Petra and Lorenz, a duo that still baffled the swordsman's mind every time he saw the pair together. It seemed that they were themselves making ready to step in on behalf of the three if they found themselves in trouble. If so, Byleth's heart fluttered in joy in seeing the exercise was already doing its job.

Mostly, anyway.

In spite of being surrounded by such a different mixture of people, Bernadetta was still on edge, nay, she seemed more closely guarded than before. Her eyes continuously moved from her horse and supplies to the others as if they were a pack of wolves waiting to pounce. Then, her light gray eyes found his. There was a squeak, then scrambled up onto her mare and did her best to look away.

Byleth heaved out a sigh.

"You know, I think it'd be best if we get going before you give the poor girl a heart attack, eh, Teach?" Came the clearly amused voice of Claude Von Reigan. Byleth turned to his right side to find the tan-skinned archer giving him a sideways smirk. "Sorry about that, didn't mean to break your concentration, but someone had to do it."

Sensing her presence, Byleth looked to his right. Edelgard did as her purple-haired fellow house member and looked away to avoid suspicion. "I-I was merely content to wait until you'd finished your pondering, Professor. Nothing more." She defended.

"Pondering? Is that what they call it in the empire when a guy stares at another girl for a long-"

"Are you both finished packing?" Cut in Byleth putting up his mask of neutrality. In his line of sight, Sothis remained, lightly priding Bernadetta's horse. Of course, the animal couldn't see the grinning girl, but it sure could feel her presence as evident by its somewhat excited and fearful whines. Bernadetta wasn't taking it well. _Sothis, enough! You're going to make her fall off and embarrass herself! _

"Embarrass her? You mean it's possible for this girl to somehow fall lower on the social ladder of this?" Innocently questioned the ghostly specter.

"Hey, Teach, yeah were' finished." Answered Claude. "We just wanna know why you keep on making weird face at Bernie."

"Has she done something to upset you?"

"N-No! No!" Mentally groaning at the mess he'd found himself in, Byleth did his best to regain his composure in the face of two of his pupils. Though odds were the others were watching him as well. From the corner of his eye he spotted Hubert looking them over with cautious eyes. "Just mount up and get ready. Even if these are nothing but lowly bandits hiding out until they can escape, keep your guard up. It'd be a poor showing for the future empress and alliance leader to fall to such low-ranking enemies, wouldn't you both say?"

While he'd already earned something of a reputation as a lax and reasonable teacher, Byleth had made it known he wasn't above using baiting and even negative reinforcement. For some people it worked, for others, not so much. He'd liked to think he'd gotten good at telling who needed what and so forth. Claude could handle it, matter of fact, it took it as a friendly challenge; giving him a mock salute before marching off to mount his horse. Edelgard was…a tad bit different. In a heartbeat, her eyes narrowed to near razors and her entire posture changed. Nothing short of complete success was now the goal of this mission.

Bernadetta was amongst the students he'd realized he couldn't use harsher methods on. Nor did he want to do so. Coaxing her out of her shell had to be done in more…cautious ways, ways that wouldn't break her any further.

So he fell back on what he always knew-combat.

"I suppose it's to be expected after all. Where we're going, where you are leading these kids to…you are quite familiar with it, yes?" Offered the ethereal girl that occupied his mind. Rather than mocking, she actually sounded more curious and even a tad sorrowful. Was it possible she felt sorry for him? "The battlefield can reveal a number of different things as I've heard some say. For that girl, what is it you're hoping it will bring out? Some sort of inner resolve or spark of courage?"

He rode ahead, keeping his gaze directed on the road that would take them out of the monastery's territory and into the great big world beyond. It was up to him to prepare those behind him for the outside world. All Byleth could do was hope he was able to do just that. Momentarily twisting his head back, he managed to pick out Bernadetta's purple-colored hair amidst the crowd. She was doing her best to look anywhere but forward.

"That is a bad habit of hers, always looking down instead of up. Honestly, how does one expect to make any headway in life from doing such a thing?"

_Well…it's hard to do, but, _Started the coat-wearing professor with a stern expression. _It's my job to actually do something about that. Any way I can, however I can._

* * *

_Is he still staring at me? I don't think he's staring at me. By the goddess, why, why me?! Why did he have to single me out?! Why was he smiling like that?! _Truthfully, she hadn't minded the professor smiling at her, especially since it was in a way that not many noticed. Except for Lady Edelgard and Claude of the Golden Deer. They both rode up ahead alongside the professor, and thankfully, neither of them had looked back at her. As far as they were concerned, she was just another face in the crowd, which was all she desired to be.

A small voice told her that such a thing could not continue to last. She was seventeen-years-old, on the cusp of adulthood rather she liked it or not. Her shy behavior could not continue, especially in the eyes of her parents, why else would they have shipped her off to a military academy she had absolutely no desire to go to? She kept telling herself how much she hated them for pulling such a heinous trick on her, yet try as she might she could never muster up any _real _hatred for them.

Did she hate how they'd done it? How her mother had done it? Without a doubt she hated it, but when she thought of the woman who'd brought her into this world, the hatred slackened. Bernadetta tried to tell herself that was nothing to be shamed of. As much as she was loath to admit it, the monastery hadn't been as bad as she thought it would be. Not to say she wouldn't trade going back home for staying, if presented with the choice she'd gladly accept the opportunity to head back home.

Except she'd have to leave all the books, sketches, and other valuables in her room. Most of which she'd spent hard-earned money and time on. Those precious valuables made it so she couldn't just up and leave.

And there was the possibility that if she left her classmates would notice. Scratch that Edelgard would notice; once she mentioned the topic Hubert would act on her unspoken request to drag her back kicking and screaming if he had to. Bernadetta's whole body seized up with fear as the mental scenario played out in her head. Of all the ways for her to die of shame, that one seemed the most likely.

She was thankful he was riding up in the front right behind Edelgard. It put as much distance as possible between the two of them.

As they passed over a river, Bernadetta realized it wasn't just Hubert she was thinking of. Too fast for her liking, she diverted her full attention to the teal-haired man riding at the front of their group, the very front. Something she knew she could never do.

_I…I wonder, did he learn by watching his father? Stupid question, of course he probably learned from him. His father is Jeralt, the strongest knight in all of the land so…it's…only natural. _She'd done her very best to avoid interacting with the new professor just as she'd tried to do regarding everyone else…yet her efforts…hadn't been as well spent as she'd hoped. There was something about him that pulled her toward him, if only a little.

Bernadetta looked up a handful of times, and in those times she saw him craning his head back. In her direction.

_Why? Why? Why?! Why does he keep looking back at me?! _Goddesses knew how many people separated them, and that they both were better off keeping their eyes on the road, yet they kept doing this. Instead, they were back to playing this infuriating little…game. By her count, they'd played it almost eight times in the classroom. Eights times they'd exchanged glances directed at one another, right there in the classroom surrounded by other students. How Bernadetta had held it together during those times she'd never know. Or perhaps she did know-she was actually getting used to Professor Byleth's stares.

But that just brought her back to her original question, why on earth would her professor spend so much time staring at her.

_Maybe…maybe he does want to kick me out. Honestly, why wouldn't he? It's not like I'm excelling at any of my classes! Or that I serve any purpose besides taking up space. W-What if after this assignment that's what he does! _Just barely did she stop herself. For some reason, the thought of being sent back home seemed to terrify her just as much as the idea of being forced to stay out until dusk. Why was that?

Did she fear returning to her parents, still the same cowardly shut-in that she originally was?

Did she fear failing them?

Did she fear failing Edelgard, who'd expressed some measure of confidence in her?

Did she fear disappointing her teacher, who'd spent his precious time attempting to make something out of her and her fellow classmates?

Most of all, did she fear failing _herself_?

Glancing up, she spotted the makings of a hilltop fortress coming into view. Immediately, she knew it to be their destination. _Quit it!_ The purple-haired noble told herself with a furious shaking of the head. _Y-You're not the heroine of some story! This ISN'T a story! This is life, real, dangerous, and cruel life. So I've got to…I've got to…_ Her hands tightened around her horse's reins. Subconsciously, the shut-in's eyes narrowed in focus. _I have to focus on the matter at hand. For…for my survival…and everyone else's. _

Bernadetta had no idea what her face looked like at the moment, how much of a far cry it was from her usual frightened expressions.

One person saw it though, and he was happy he did. The determined frown on her usual withdrawn and nervous face was a nice change of pace. And it was exactly what she was going to be needing in the next hour.

* * *

Everything was going well, or perhaps too well.

The bandits caught wind of them just as they made the opening attacks, pelting the seized fortress with arrows and magical spells that left them as disoriented as possible. With their enemies off-balance, Byleth himself led the charge through the front door. At his side were Edelgard and Caspar; he found it interesting as the two were about as far apart in personality as one could imagine, yet when the battle began, they both transformed into the same type of person-fighters. They weren't alone, Ferdinand was just as eager as his fellow house members. As were a few members of the Golden Deer such as Leonie and Raphael.

They crushed through the frontal gate like a battering ram. Byleth could still hear himself barking out orders even as his mind went on autopilot to keep himself alive. He'd seen his father do it enough times that he'd felt he'd learned how to multi-task, balance commanding troops with fighting for his own survival.

It helped that his students had shown they'd learned a thing or two from his lessons. Never did he have to repeat a single order or command, once was enough, and once heard the future Crest heirs and royals carried them out with great efficiency.

"Feeling mighty confident, aren't you? Well, I will not argue that you do not have reason to. These children are handling themselves moderately well. Including the shy one."

As much as he hated to admit it, there was a part of Byleth that wanted to ask Sothis how she knew of Bernadetta's condition. He'd splint the group into two: the first were himself and the "heavy hitters" who'd attack from the front. The second group headed by Claude would come from behind, an old passage way into and out of fortress. What might have been a much-needed escape was now a wall of arrows and magic that would stop the bandits and thieves if they tried to escape. He'd decided to place Bernadetta in the second group since he knew such a frontal attack wasn't in her nature.

And he wanted her as far away from the heavy fighting as possible.

Steel weapons clashed against each other, in the case of some, shattering due to the force of the opposition. Some surrendered when they found themselves disarmed; others chose to keep fighting. The all-too familiar scent of blood began to tickle his nose along with the rising smell of smoke. He'd order the fires put out once the battle was over with.

He was going to end it. "Edelgard, remain here and coordinate the others! I'm going up to the top to take care of the ring leader!" He called to the white-haired axe-wielder seconds after dispatching a previously attacking spearman.

Pausing in her own actions, her eyes met his. "Understood, but surely take one of us with you! We can be of use to you!"

In return, the mercenary's son shot her a sideways smile. "I appreciate the thought, but this one's mine. Besides, you should take this as a learning opportunity!" After that, he bolted for the nearest staircase, his feet pounding against the stone and his grip on his bone-like sword held tight.

"You can sense it, can't you?"

Byleth's smile faltered, a dark frown growing across his face as his muscles tightened. _Something's at the top, something dangerous. _

Sothis was beside him, a spectral upper body looking upward with a curious expression. "And you believe you can face it alone? Granted, you are skilled, but enough to take what lies at the top?"

The grown on the young adult's face deepened. Almost all the hairs on his back were standing up. In just a few short steps he'd be at the door. Byleth had no plans on casually knocking. "I'm the teacher here, so if what's waiting behind that door is a threat to my students then its my job to deal with it." As a testament to his words, the Sword of the Creator in his hands glowed with orange-red power. Hosting the blade up he sprinted up the final steps and rammed his way through the wooden double doors that stood before him.

What met him was a fireball, one he practically charged through. Spying a startled figure through the embers, he kept on going, the tip of his sword skidding across the stone floor. He brought it up then down again, his sword meeting the super-heated steel of another.

"My, my, it seems some of the stories were true. You are indeed a fierce warrior in spite of your age." Cackled a masculine lined with blood-thirsty excitement. Blyeth's dark eyes looked up meeting a pair of chestnut-brown orbs that dripped with violent delight. Mustache-topped lips curved into a smile. Seconds later and the face was illuminated by a mass of flames whose source was the blade he was currently struggling against. "Let us see how good you really are!"

Byleth broke away, his eyes darting to the weapon his enemy held. It was enchanted of some sort as he could not only see the flames rolling off of the long-sword, but feel the magical energies that tomes and staves emitted. Teeth pulled back in a snarl, he realized the intelligence they'd been given was on the money, there was something here that posed a threat to the monastery and its occupants.

One greater than he could have imagined.

"Yes," came a second voice, this one male, but incredibly low and gravelly. Byleth's blood ran cold as he recognized it. "Time to play…again!"

From his front came a flaming sword that would have splint him into two charred pieces. From his right came a massive scythe blade the likes of which could only have belonged to a reaper of some sort. That's exactly who, or perhaps what, was holding it.

* * *

"Um, should someone, I don't know, go see if the Professor's doing okay?" Came Hilda's admittedly nervous voice.

She was far from alone in being nervous. Almost twelve minutes had passed since they'd attacked the fortress, during which the students of the Officer's Academy had managed to subdued almost all of the bandits and rogues who'd occupied. Or at least those on the first four levels. Above them were two more that their teacher had sought fit to clear out himself.

Instead of coming back near immediately, he'd remained gone, and the ceiling above them had begun to rumble as if something were pounding on it.

Bernadetta knew that her fear was showing. But it wasn't because she was scared that any second the ceiling was going to come down on them. She was fearful because just as Hilda implied, their teacher had yet to return, and she was beginning to worry he might not. Her bow trembled in her hands, her breath coming out faster than she would have liked while the others argued amongst themselves. Glancing at the entry to the stairway she spotted Edelgard and Claude talking amongst themselves, both their faces serious. Beside Edelgard stood Hubert; what surprised Bernadetta was the fact he seemed to be just as worried about Professor Byleth as the rest of them. Suddenly, Edelgard looked to the rest of them.

"Claude, Hubert, Petra, Ferdinand, and Leonie are call coming with us. The rest of you are to-"

The ceiling broke before the future empress could finish speaking. And by broke Bernadetta meant it completely and utterly exploded, a mass of fire and rock cascading downward right there in front of them. Shocked didn't even begin to describe how the assembled nobles and commoners felt. Then the shock became fear as a fear emerged from the smoke and embers-their teacher.

Except he was bleeding from several places, and his coat was gone. And he wasn't alone.

Bernadetta had heard stories of the Death Knight, a phantasmal entity that seemed more legend than reality. That had been enough to terrify Bernadetta. Seeing him in the flesh, or rather the armor, had her shaking where she stood. Jaw hanging loose, it was a miracle that she didn't fall onto her buttocks in fright.

"Ah, just as I suspected. Your students are here as well. Just as I wanted." Came the hollow voice from inside the armor that made Bernadetta, and a handful of others' blood run cold. "Caphis, burn this place to the ground, it is of no more use to us."

The mustached man at the side of the Death Knight smiled, it was the sort of smile that Bernadetta imagined snakes could make if their faces had the muscles to smile. Flames exploded from the sword he held in his hand as it was raised then swung in a wide, murderous arc. Right at her and her classmates.

Before the attack could hit, something moved in front of them, something long, orange, and near snake-like. Like the others, Bernadetta's heart skipped a beat as embers fanned out around them. It took several blinks for her to realize what had happened-the attack had been stopped. Her eyes just barely traced the long whip-like blade as it finished retracting, seconds before it met the scythe-blade of the Death Knight. Her ears nearly exploded hearing the two weapons clashing, the air certainly imploded as a mighty gale fanned out in a circular pattern. Bernadetta felt as if she'd temporarily lost her ability to breath.

"Go!" Came the professor's tight voice. "Edelgard! Claude! Take the students and run!"

The future empress would have shouted at him, but she was too preoccupied with trying to keep her head attached to her neck. The bandit leader, Caphis, had directed his attention toward her and was now swinging his sword in flaming arcs with the intent being to cut down the white-haired girl. Naturally, Hubert and Dorothea were racing to her defense. Bernadetta didn't see the wave of fire go up because she was still focused on the professor.

"Leave you?! That's crazy, teach! We're not-" Claude's voice was cut off by the sound of stone and wood cracking. Glancing upward, the archer and several others saw that the hole the three combatants had made with their entry was growing bigger. The ceiling was going to cave in on them.

Panic gripped Bernadetta's body as her mind nearly broken down with a number of thoughts. Running away was the first thing that came to mind, and it's exactly what their teacher had suggested so surely there was no shame in it. In spite of her wobbling legs, the young noble could already feel her body motioning in a certain direction, the nearest exit. Several others were readying themselves to do likewise. Bernadetta would have been the first to move if her ears hadn't picked up the sound of screaming, of Professor Byleth screaming. Heart-racing, she looked back at the fight.

A trail of red followed after the edge of the Death Knight's scythe, its epicenter being the stumbling swordsman who was now stumbling backwards.

Something inside of her told her to go to him, to support him.

A firm arm came down on her right shoulder, snapping Bernadetta back to reality. She looked up and gasped at Linhardt's serious demeanor. She was so shocked by it she didn't even register the physical contact they were now sharing. "Come on! We've got to move, now!" He barked.

Everything after that point became a blur, one ringed with flames, lots and lots of flames. Somehow, the fire had begun to spread and consume the inside of the fortress. Bernadetta suspected that it was all planned, that if the monastery sent forces to reclaim the fortress then the bandits would blow it as a last resort. She shocked herself with how easily it was to picture; maybe it had something to do with the fact that such a thing had happened ins some of her novels. Such events usually played out in one of three ways: everyone makes it out, a few make it out, or nobody makes it out alive.

Another scream reached her eyes. It was looking more and more like it was going to be the second option. And the lives lost would include their teacher.

Still caught in Linhardt's grip, Bernadetta craned her head back and spotted the professor still battling the Death Knight. And he was losing.

Something inside of Bernadetta snapped seeing the armored knight's scythe blade rise while her teacher fell backward. Through the flames, she could see the countless cuts and injuries he'd gained. He looked like a sitting duck, a lamb waiting to be slaughtered before the butcher's blade. The blade gleamed in the light of flames.

Everything that happened next was a blur from her tearing her arm away from Linhardt to the dashing through the flames. Though she felt like she was cooking over a campfire, everything in front of her felt crystal clear. She could see her teacher kneeling down in pain and standing before him a demon from the abyss with its weapon ready to decapitate the him. Her arms moved on their own, an arrow notched and ready. A second later it was fired.

_**CLANG! **_

It was surprise more than anything that caught the Death Knight off-guard, keeping him from swinging his scythe blade. The blade was knocked back, its owner forced to take an unexpected step backwards. It was just the opening that the professor needed. Bernadetta watched amazed as the green-haired swordsman suddenly sprung up, his boney sword raising in a diagonal arc that cleaved through the Death Knight's frontal armor.

Subconsciously, Bernadetta felt herself smiling.

Then the smile dropped as Professor Byleth turned to face her, giving her a full view of his heavily wounded body. Nearly all of her sense of pride and accomplishment shriveled up and died. Moments later and it turned to fear as she saw the older man racing toward her.

"Bernadetta, duck, now!" He shouted.

She remembered squeaking something out. Behind the professor, she saw a mass of fire building up curtsy of the bandit leader. Within seconds she realized what she'd done-doomed herself.

Bernadetta remembered her bow dropping to the ground so both her hands could cover head as it ducked down. She knew this was the end, her end. In a fallen fortress being eaten up by flames because she decided to do something well beyond her ability-help someone, be a hero.

She was no hero. She was just another name on a soon to be list of fatalities. Quietly, she accepted that thought, seconds before her whole world went black.

* * *

Darkness was something Bernadetta had grown somewhat used to, and yet she feared it just like everyone else. It wasn't like she'd ever completely immersed herself in it, at her home and in her room, she'd always had candles. Rather scented or not, they'd illuminated the gloom giving her just enough light to indulge in her hobbies. She liked to tell herself that was a good thing, that she wasn't completely "deprived" as she'd heard some accuse her of being.

A light appeared before her; instinctively she reached for it only to have the candle-like glow escape her. Rather than give up, Bernadetta decided to give chance. It was unlike her, but the brightness had completely captivated her attention leading her to run through the darkness. As she ran, she realized the glow was growing brighter. She reached for it again, just as its radiance became sun-like.

"Oooohhh…"

"Heh, I see someone's finally awake." Came a painted albeit amused male voice. "Don't try to move around too much.

The rising tide of anxiety within her was quickly stopped by the familiar voice. "Pro…fessor…Byleth?"

"Heh, you sound almost happy to have me around."

Remembering her parents' lessons, Bernadetta did her best to rise up, even though her mind was telling her to do nothing but rest. Her hands spread out and felt something wet and soft beneath her. _Tree…leaves? _Finally opening her eyes, she was treated to the sight of a stony ceiling, a cave ceiling. For a splint second she thought she saw cracks in it, but her heart was at ease in realizing it was only a combination of her delirious mind and the fire at her side. Sitting upright, she placed a hand to her face. "What…happened? Why do I feel like I was dropped from a Pegasus?"

There was a somewhat hearty chuckle from the instructor. "Oh, well, we did basically jump from a four-story window down into a bunch of trees. Or rather, I jumped while carrying you. By the way, you're quite light."

Hearing the humor in his voice did something it shouldn't have-it made her feel comfortable. "W-W-Well, I-I'm a shut-in alright! I-I-I'm not a glutton like Ingrid, Raphael, Caspar, or Ferdinand!" She quickly defended.

"Ferdinand? What, he got into an eating competition or something?"

Just as she readied herself to respond, Byleth once again caught Bernadetta off-guard to the point she was left speechless. When she woke up, she knew she was in a cave. Afterwards, her brain somehow accepted that she was alone with her teacher. What she hadn't expected was for said teacher to look so…battered.

Wide-eyed and jaw-dropped, she stared at the half-clothed form of the Officers' Academy's youngest teacher. She'd heard that he was…built, albeit not to the extent of some of the other instructors. That body was now covered by a set of hastily put together bandages and wrappings, some of which were stained bright red. Bernadetta thought she would get sick just by looking at them, yet she couldn't bring herself to look away. It was as if they'd completely mesmerized her. Maybe it was because this was her first time seeing another man shirtless…even if most of his upper body were covered in bandages. Not helping the case was the fire between them casting a brilliant glow across Professor Byleth's body.

In particularly, the bonfire made his eyes stand out.

Eight-percent of the time, she'd seen them focused and void of much emotion. Ten-percent she'd seen some emotion in them, and the last ten percent she'd seen them focused as razors. The way he was looking at her now was with emotion, with amusement in his eyes.

"You're not going to pass out, are you?"

Was that supposed to be a joke? Was he joking with her? In this situation?! In his condition?!

"P-P-P-P-P-P-Professor! I-I-I-I-I…I…I…was I really that light?" Bernadetta squeaked out in surprise. That was really the only thing she could think of saying. Briefly, she toyed with making a snappy comment like how perhaps it might have been his injuries…or he was really that strong. At that second option, Bernadetta hoped her face didn't blush as the thought crossed her mind.

In spite of the pain, the young teacher laughed. She could tell he was doing it to put her at ease. "Let's just say compared to some of the things I've had to carry, you fall on the light side. Don't let that get you down though, okay?"

Somewhat shyly, she nodded her head in acceptance of his words. It was all Bernadetta could do to keep her head from exploding at the situation. Outside, she heard the sounds of the night, crickets and birds and water running and the occasional hooting of owls. "How long have I been…asleep?"

Byleth looked at her for a full minute before answering. Bernadetta wished he hadn't, but she was happy that he did. If he was aware of the fact that she was holding his faze then he didn't say anything.

"By my guess, maybe four hours. When you started moaning in your sleep, I was relieved because it meant you were alive. I feared the worst."

"I-I-I-I was moaning in my sleep?!"

"I blocked out everything I heard. I've done it before." His nonchalantly response flew from his lips like an arrow from a bowstring. It did little to calm Bernadetta's nerves. "How are you feeling now?" Suddenly spoke the professor. "Any lingering pains or aches?"

"H-Huh? N-No, a-a-actually I'm…I'm…" Raising her hands, she realized there wasn't a single wound on them, not even imprints from how tightly she'd been gripping her bow in the leadup to her blackout. "Aside from the fact that I'm who knows where and I have no idea how to get back home…I…I…I think I'm ok…ay?" The realization dawned on her with subtlety. "P-P-P-Professor…did you…" His looking away confirmed what she'd begun to suspect. "Why? Why? Why?! Why would you use up all of you medicine on me!?"

"Because you're one of my students, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you were hurt or injured and I had the ability to do something, but didn't." Responded his tight and controlled voice. Again, their eyes met over the fire. The intensity in his eyes was greater than before, much greater. And yet, Bernadetta couldn't find herself backing down from it. "I've watched people die, people that I've known and cared for, so if I can avoid that happening…then these are a small price to pay."

A hush escaped her lips at his words. Seeing him sitting there by the fire, so composed in spite of his still bleeding injuries was…well, to Bernadetta, amazing came to mind. _He…he…he really is the hero. _Realized the shut-in while pulling her knees up to her chin. "Was it…scary?" His concentration broke, surprise colored his features. "G-G-Growing up as J-J-Jeralt's son I mean!" She clarified. "I-I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't be asking these questions! I should-"

"Yeah, it was scary, so damn scary that I'm pretty sure if I told you my life's story, you'd probably find it hard to believe."

"H-Huh?"

Back against the wall, Byleth seemingly made himself as comfortable as possible before beginning his explanation. "My…mother died when I was born. Death by childbirth isn't uncommon but…the older I grew, I saw other kids had mothers around. I felt…jealous of them. Why was it my mother had to give her life so I could come into this world? I didn't think it was fair, but then again, nothing in life is ever really fair." A humorless laugh escaped him. That's what caused Bernadetta to flinch. It didn't go unnoticed. "I'm sorry about that. I always just get a bit…"

"Emotional?" Why she spoke, she had no idea. All Bernadetta knew was that seeing the formerly emotionless Professor Byleth begin to reveal his inner self…stirred something inside of her. It wasn't like they were being forced to, physically or mentally. "I…I…um, I…really don't know how to…respond to something like that. I-I-I mean I-I…I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Y-You're telling me all of this a-a-and I can't think of anything to say in response! I'm awful! I'm horrible! I'm-"

"No, you're not." How could his voice sound so soft and comforting in spite of the subject matter? It was too much for her! Worse, there was his smile, his soft forgiving smile that made her heart flutter just a little. "You don't have to say anything, listening is enough. Or at least…that's what I've learned. Growing up on the battlefield…you learn a lot of interesting things, some of them scary and others kind of funny."

"Y-You grew up on the battlefield?" Immediately after asking the question, Bernadetta felt stupid. Before she could retract it, the professor answered her.

"Without my mother around my father…had to carry me around a lot. At least up until a point, but by then you could say I'd already gotten a taste for battle." Unlike nobles and "ordinary people", his father couldn't hire a babysitter, not often anyway. All he could do was make sure he was as far out of harm's way as the situation could allow. That hadn't always worked out. Byleth looked to the fire and fell back into old memories, memories of pain, horror, and gradual acceptance. "I won't lie to you and say getting used to fighting and bloodshed was easy, because it wasn't. I can't begin to tell you how many nights I woke up screaming or sweating from nightmares. It got to the point where I had to sleep with my father." A wistful smile finally formed on his face. Clearly, the memories were now happier. "Would you believe me if I told you that there were times when even the mighty Jeralt woke up in a cold fright and had to be calmed by his son?"

Bernadetta couldn't believe it, but she knew that it was probably true. "S-S-So…it's…okay to be scared?"

First, he sucked in a long breath through his mouth, then exhaled through his nostrils, as if bracing himself. "My father once told me that everyone has a point in their life when they're scared. What matters is what we do when we get to that point, do we shudder in fear or do we rise up and overcome it."

After a few minutes of contemplating her words, Bernadetta attempted to shriek herself into a smaller ball. "I…don't think I can do that second one. I'm too shy for it."

"I wouldn't say that." Countered the blue-eyed teacher with tenderness, tenderness that shined when he looked at her with a gentle smile. "You've amazing so far, not just on this mission, but during your time at the monastery. Bernadetta, you may not think it, but you're a very capable person. Heh, you even managed to rescue your pathetic teacher from certain death."

Try as she might, there was no stopping the bright blush that seized her cheeks. Desperate, she looked around for anything she could use to cover her face; she found such an item in her quiver, half-depleted. Overcome by nervousness, she grabbed for it and held it in front of her face, not caring how borderline ridiculous she looked. Bernadetta could hear the professor's hard-repressed snickers of amusement.

"See? I'm not brave. I'm a cowardly shut in whose parents had to ship her off to the academy just to get her out of the room."

"Somehow, I feel like if an enemy were to appear in front of us that person would disappear and be replaced by the brave girl who shot an arrow at the Death Knight." Byleth mused. He was now the one thankful they weren't making eye-contact. "Bernadetta, thank you for that by the way. You saved my life."

Her whole body tensed up. The first thing Bernadetta's mind jumped to was the messy bed of tree leaves and rags that the teenage teacher had made for her. Could he have done so while he was still wounded? Did he prioritize her safety and well-being above his own? Her mind told her to accept all of these things in silence and move on. But she couldn't do that, her heart was hammering in her chest and demanding for her to do something different. Against her better judgement, she decided to listen to it.

Hesitantly, she lowered her quiver allowing her eyes to meet the professor's. "I…I couldn't let you die. I-I-I mean, y-you're our teacher and…and…so far, you've been a pretty good one! Y-You've…you've…you've put up with a lot from us. U-Us nobles I mean."

"And the commoners too. Nobles, commoners, there's not really much of a difference at the end of the day." Lightly interjected the sword-user. "Growing up, I learned how to deal with a lot of different people. Life isn't always going to be easy to walk through and sometimes you're going to meet people who really make you either wanna turn around or outright stop you. It's up to you rather or not to let them do either, or push right on past them." A brief chuckle slipped past the teal-haired youth's lips. "Of course, I saw some people prefer to fix that problem with a blade, cutting down anything or anyone in their path. But sometimes, that's not always the answer. Sadly, teaching politics wasn't what in my job description so that might be a lost cause."

"I-I wouldn't say that. Y-You…um, you're still a good roll model."

"Any more positive talk like that and I'm going to start thinking where's my cute and shy little student." Responded the teacher.

Bernadetta's cheeks flared up again. "H-Hey! I-I can be cheerful! J-J-J-Just because I-I-I'm a shut-in doesn't mean I'm a pessimist!"

Another round of chuckles escaped Byleth, even though he clenched his sides in pain from the action. Talking was certainly helping him to ease the pain. "H-Hey, I never said that you were a pessimist, just that you could stand to go outside a little bit more. I was…trying to avoid forcing you, but things didn't exactly go as planned."

"Um, Professor Byleth, I really don't think that sort of thing happens…even in books. Sometimes even the villain's evil plans end up going sideways."

"So, I'm villain?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow.

This time, her quiver dropped revealing her complete beat-red face. Byleth couldn't hold back the laughter this time. "N-N-N-No way! Y-Y-You're anything b-b-but a villain! I-I-I-I mean sure, y-y-you dress i-in dark a-a-and y-you're silent a-a-and y-you tend to stare off into space and you whisper sometime, b-but you're a great teacher, you're kind to everyone regardless of rank or background and then you're…you're…you're…" It felt like she was tap-dancing on the edge of a cliff. The fall was coming, she knew it, but she could perhaps do something about how many bones she broke on impact. "Professor Byleth, you're probably the bravest person I've ever met. I'm…you…" Her wondering eyes found his. It seemed the fire was illuminating both of their faces. Wood cackled between them, silently encouraging the both of them to continue. Bernadetta took in a deep breath. "You inspire me to try to be a…little bit braver, if possible. Not that it works, or that I'm any good at it. Or I can be useful to anyone."

"Regarding that, Edelgard certainly disagrees. You're practically the best archer in all of the Black Eagles, and your-argh!" He'd held it off for as long as he could, but the pain was now clawing its way back to the forefront of his mind. Byleth supposed it was inevitable, he'd been in the process of patching himself up when Bernadetta had awoken.

Speaking of the purple-haired girl, she saw his pain and responded immediately. Wide-eyed, she scrambled to his side, her hands going for him as her panicky eyes scoured his body.

_He…he did this for me. For me. I can't…I can't leave him like this! I won't! _"P-P-Professor, p-please let me take a look at your wounds." She said in a semi-steady voice.

Shocked, the looked to her with wide eyes of his own. "B-B-Bernadetta, I-I'm-"

"You're not fine! I can see that with my own eyes, and feel it with my hands!" Taking a moment to calm herself, she looked around the small cave they'd taken refuge in. Spotting the assortment of leaves and rags that had been used to make a makeshift bed, an idea formed in her head. "I-I-I'll help you up. Come on."

She tried not to think about the blush on his face, a strong counterpart to the one she'd previously sported. Luckily for the both of them, it was a short walk around, barely five steps.

"D-Dorothea…took me to see Professor Manuela, one of her lessons. I-I picked up a thing or two." She quickly explained. "Then requested to take a text book back to my room to study with."

Byleth couldn't help but smile. Though somewhat…eccentric, Byleth had come to learn that the brunette truly meant well when it came to their students, and she knew more than a thing or two about people. Surely she'd loaned the book out knowing Bernadetta would get more information out of it then a lecture. Already he could picture her rightfully victorious smile in knowing she'd made the right move.

Several minutes later and Bernadetta's formerly clean hands were now stained by blood, his blood. He hated seeing such a thing. Many would have been surprised at how focused and level-headed the shut-in was able to remain as she attempted to pick-up where he left off. She needed some pointers from him though.

"You see enough battlefields, you realize you need to know more than how to swing a sword or a lance or fire an arrow." He measly explained.

Bernadetta took his words in silence. The teal-haired professor didn't know it, but he was answering all of her unasked questions. In addition, he was also convincing her that running away from the monastery would be a horrible choice; she'd lose way too many things, precious things.

As luck would have it, just as she'd thought she'd finished, her stomach chose to remind her that it'd been hours since she'd last eaten. Byleth's stomach followed after hers.

"S-S-Sorry, I'm the teacher and I'm supposed to be taking care of you." He offered.

Cheeks hot pink, Bernadetta defensively shook her head. "I-I-It's fine. I-I-I mean w-w-w-we all have to g-g-grow up sometime, even me. It's not like I can spend the rest of my life hiding away in my room." Some sort of invisible bell rung grabbing Byleth's attention. His gaze focused on her and his brow furrowed. "W-What? What is it? Did I say something wrong?!"

"N-No, i-it's just…um, I kind of never expected to hear you say something like that." He admitted looking to the side, as if he were too embarrassed to meet her gaze.

She could hardly blame him. Sitting back, she placed both of her hands atop her lap as she struggled to gather herself. "Neither did I, to be honest with you. However, I…at the monastery, sure, everyone's a bit hard to handle most of the time, but they're all…I like seeing their faces."

"Even if you're watching them from behind a pillar or ledge or through a window?" Byleth jabbed with a smirk.

Bernadetta felt her blush deepen. "I-I can talk to be people directly! L-Like now! I'm speaking to you face-to-face, aren't I?!"

"And I'm enjoying it." Furthered the teacher.

She was now certain that her face resembled a tomato. Finding a hole to burrow into suddenly didn't seem like such a bad idea. "I-I'll go get us something to eat!"

Immediately, his expression dropped. "N-No, I will. I'll go."

Her hands went to his shoulders, an act that surprised even her. "N-No, y-you won't. I'm in better shape so I'll go."

"Bernadetta," Byleth began.

"Please!" The sudden increase in volume visibly caught him off-guard. "I'm…the reason you're wounded, the reason why you lost your favorite coat. S-So…I have to take responsibility, as not just your student, but as a noble." Boldly, she stood up, her young and innocent face now hard and focused. "My parents sent me to Officers Academy for a reason, rather I like it or not, it's time I started embracing it."

He looked ready to argue with her, in fact, Bernadetta could see the words preparing to leave his lips. Suddenly, his jaw slid shut and tightened. Groaning, he sat up and made his way over to the cave wall. When he turned back, he offered her a daggered holstered in a blue sheath. Bernadetta immediately recognized it to be the same one that the professor always carried with him on his person.

"Use it to protect yourself, please."

Her hands shook as she took hold of the small weapon. It was just a simple dagger, but Bernadetta felt like she were being entrusted with a national treasure. Something told her that as far as her professor's often-hidden emotions and feelings went, the dagger was a treasure. Fastening it to her waist, she reached for her quiver and stood at the threshold of the cave.

Looking back, she did her best to reassure him with a smile as she'd seen several others do. "I-I-I'll be back, a-a-and I'll h-have brought us dinner."

A small smile formed on his lips. "If you can try to avoid any deer. I made an agreement with Claude no shooting at deer until he and his house have graduated."

Bernadetta found herself mirroring his smile. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm too scared to approach something like a deer, not to mention I don't think I could find it in myself to shoot at them if I wanted to. They're too…majestic-looking to me."

One final smile was exchanged between teacher and student. The latter turned her back to the former, and exited the cave into the dark night. As she walked, Byleth listened to the sound of her footsteps waiting for a break, a hesitation.

There never came one.

* * *

Byleth opened his eyes to rays of light flittering through the makeshift curtains they'd hung up over the cave entrance. A pleasant blew through them the curtains tickling him, and the person curled up at his side.

"Hm, from what I understand, shouldn't both of your clothes be off for this situation?" Chirped the green-haired spectral girl.

It took a good deal of Byleth's willpower to keep his mouth shut and his arms where they were. One of them was wrapped around Bernadetta, who lay curled up against his chest. If he made the slightest of motions, he'd awake her, and given their current situation, the results would be…well, Byleth had no desire to give Sothis that kind of ammunition. Not to mention he couldn't afford to put Bernadetta in that sort of position.

"Hey, you're already in what some would call a 'compromising position', so why stop there? Besides," His blood chilled at her near seductive smirk. Where on earth did she learn to smile like that?! "I have a feeling that this shut-in would not be averse to such a thing. She did moan your name several times the night before…and she was the one who wormed her way into your embrace last night."

Hearing that, the mercenary's eyes widened, and his cheeks reddened. The last thing he'd seen before going to sleep was the light glow of the fire and Bernadetta fiddling with the remains of their dinner, procured from the outside forest. In his sleep, he felt her move herself into his arms, but he was too tired to say anything; in reality, he hoped it was just part of some wishful dream. Sothis' words shattered the half-hearted hope.

"Hm, you're not pushing her away, in fact, you're enjoying having her this close, are you not?" Jeered the bare-foot girl now tip-toing around the makeshift fire place they'd set up. "You have always had a soft spot for her, so perhaps this isn't an unwanted turn of events. No, I would say this entire situation has been most advantageous for you, has it not?"

Byleth felt his teeth begin to gnash. "Stop. Talking. Please." He grounded out trying not to awake the noble in his arms.

In spite of his efforts, his words seemingly aroused Bernadetta. There was a yawn, then a dug-in of her head into his chest causing his blush to deepen.

"P-Pro…fessor…p-please…just one more hour, I…I need the sleep." Came her feathery voice.

"Sounds like she's dreaming about you." Sothis noted now standing before them. A wicked grin formed on her face. "Shall I wake her, or probe into her dreams?"

"No! Don't!" Hissed the swordsman with fearful eyes. In a situation like this, one could have argued that he should have been worried about news of this incident getting out. If such a thing happened, something told Byleth his teaching job would be at risk. And he'd likely be have a hit out on his head curtsy of Earl of Varley.

Though all of those concerns were nothing next to the sound of another yawn breaking, this one louder than before. Tight-lipped, Byleth glanced down and froze as he saw the student in his arms was beginning to wake up. The first thing her light gray eyes found were his own. He readied himself for a scream of panic, but it never came.

Bernadetta continued to stare at him with a blushing face and sealed lips. Just like him, her whole body was heating up as well, and she was just barely keeping a lid on it.

"G-G-Good morning, By-I-I mean P-Professor Byleth." The arched whispered.

"I am certain by this point, clothes would have been removed or this cave would be-"

"L-Let's get going! I-I mean t-t-there's some daylight n-now so we should be able to make it back to friendly territory by evening!" One could argue that their roles had suddenly switched. She was now the composed one and he was the flustered wreck. Sothis, the only witness to the whole spectacle found it quite amusing.

"W-Wait! D-D-D you want me to get something for breakfast first?"

He chose not to say anything regarding the fact that they were still held in each other's arms. "I-If you want, we can, though I'd rather have the monastery's food if it's all the same to you."

Shy lips curved upward. "A-Alright, w-w-we'll have something to eat! That'll be the first thing we do once we get back!"

The purple-haired girl was completely and utterly blind and deaf to the chuckling of the mint-haired and barefooted woman that was bouncing on her feet at the cave's entrance. "I believe this is what you mortals call a 'date', is it not, Byleth?"

Byleth knew he could have answered her with a snappy mental comeback, but he chose not to. He was too happy at the smile he was seeing upon one of the Officers Academy's most notorious shut-ins. Not only was she smiling, but she was ready to brave the outside world.

Odds were, they'd look like they'd tracked through the wilderness with their burnt and torn clothing, which they'd slept in. Bernadetta believed if time allowed it, she could have repaired the damages in their clothing…provided she had the materials on hand. As they gathered their things, her mind turned to sowing. She had a few things she wanted to do once she got back.

Without warning, Byleth's eyes widened, then narrowed. Grabbing his sword, he rushed past the teenage noble, his face dropping into its emotionless mask.

Bursting through the curtains, his eyes spied the wave of fire heading straight for the hideaway. Cold fury boiling up inside of him, he swung his sword, its blade extending outward. It countered the fire wave sending embers fluttering through the air.

"Finally found you!" Laughed the voice of bandit leader, Caphis. Unlike them, he looked the exact same as he did the day before, patch-work armor and a flaming longsword in hand. A sword he pointed directly at Byleth. "How nice of you to find such a perfect little burial ground. Perhaps after this, I can find the rest of your little band of church-goers and throw them in this hole with you. It'd be quite fitting, eh?"

"You're mistaken, this place is going to be your grave, not ours. It's nothing less than what you deserve." Shot back the teal-haired man with cold eyes. "Now, to pay you back for the other day."

Another wave of fire came, and like the last one, this one was cut through. Byleth's sword came down hard on the flaming steel blade of the outlaw. The latter grunted as he felt as if he were having to stop a boulder from crushing him. A second later and the boulder pulled back, then it was pushing against him again. Caphis grunted in increasing effort as he found himself suddenly forced onto the defensive.

"Without the Death Knight here you're not much to write home about, are you?" Chided Byleth. "Even with that magically sword of yours, by the way, where did you come by it?"

Snarling in anger, the brown-haired renegade attempted to hit back with a flurry of fiery slashes that Byleth either dodged or parried. "If you want me to talk, you'll have to force it out of me!"

"Very well then."

The younger man's strikes came faster, harder. Even with the magic-enhanced sword in his arms, Caphis found himself losing ground quickly. His hands were beginning to ache from the back-to-back slashes and swings that Byleth rained upon him. He knew it was a rush down strategy, the type that could only be pulled off, and the Ashen Demon was one of them. It was only a matter of time before his victory was decided.

Which was exactly why Caphis had a back-up plan in mind.

As he stumbled backwards from the latest swing, one that left his arms ringing, his mouth opened in sharp command. "Fire! Light that cave up and the bitch inside of it!"

They emerged from the bushes and trees like a pack of hungry wolves, called by the howl of the pack leader. Byleth had a splint second to register what was about to happen before multiple fireballs were launched from their hands and tomes, all of which sailed towards the cave he'd emerged from.

"No! NO!" Power humming through the Sword of the Creator, the teenage teacher swung the weapon in a wide arc. The mass of flames merged together into a gigantic wave he just narrowly managed to cut through, but it wasn't enough. It continued onward, slamming into the cave like a hammer, the fire running through the opening and filling up the hole inside the hilltop. Byleth's eyes widened in horror as he registered the sound of rock heating up to the point of melting.

"Now, go join your dear little student!" Shouted Caphis coming upon the teacher, who now had his back turned to him. The magically-carved runes on his blade blazed to life, their power being drawn out in full. In one slash he would he slay the Officers Academy's teacher and, in the process, remove one of the Church of Serios most lethal weapons.

_**THUNK! THUNK! **_

"Stay away from my teacher!" Came the voice of the Black Eagle's resident shut-in. It was not trembling with fear, but shaking with anger.

To Byleth, it was like hearing the horn of victory blown.

Spinning on his heel, he looked back and saw that Caphis now had two arrows protruding from him. One dug deep into his unprotected right forearm while the other in the corresponding leg. Blood slipped from his lips as he stumbled back, nearly toppling onto his back. Byleth decided to help him with that via a brutal knee strike to the gut, then a left hook that he was sure knocked some teeth out of the outlaw's jawline.

"He took out the-"

"You bastard! How dare-"

_**THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! **_

Through the flames, he recognized the whistling of arrows, and the sound of them impacting bodies, then said bodies hitting the ground. His heart rate reassumed its original pace, which was something considering he was now surrounded by fire, again, and enemies. Granted, the latter were slowly being reduced one by one. Now resolute, he left the whizzing Caphis and moved on to his associates, many of whom were forced out of the bushes and into the open, and into his line of sight.

Blood spilt across the forest floor staining the grass and trees crimson. It was quite a mess, but not the worst he'd ever seen or made.

"Dammit! Dammit! This can't be happening! I won't let it happen!" Screeched one of the bandits as Byleth cut down one of his compatriots. "I won't let you get away with this, ya hear me!" Though his words were directed at the teacher, his whole body turned in another direction-toward the hilltop that Bernadetta had perched herself atop of. A magical circle appeared as he thrusted his hand out.

In such a short window of time, his fears were aroused. He was already moving by the time the fireball was launched; after it came several more from the surviving two mages, their attacks directed in a single direction. Byleth knew he couldn't stop them all.

His eyes darted to the hilltop, Bernadetta now visible, and panicking. _By the goddess, let this work! _"BERNADETTA!"

She heard him, really, it was hard for her not to. Turning to face him, she saw the whip sword heading straight toward her, though not to kill or maim as it usually did. Throwing her caution to the wind, Bernadetta sprinted toward the ledge and jumped, her hand stretched out. The tip wrapped around her wrist, in turn, the noble clenched at the steel-like threat that held the sword together. Somehow feeling her fingers grip the thread, Byleth pulled on his sword, dragging the purple-haired archer across the sky.

Bernadetta could feel tears bubbling at the corner of her eyes. This was most certainly not how she thought the day was going to go, but she was powerless to stop it. All she could do was continue to hold on and wait for it all to be over, and pray she survived to see it.

In the short seconds before the "ride" came to an end, she realized that she was fighting alongside someone who was hellbent on ensuring she survived. Byleth's arms opened to catch her as she came flying into him, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground. Bernadetta's vision blurred, but she couldn't help but feel like she was safe and sound. At least until her back hairs stood up and her nerves fired in alarm. Looking up, she saw the tree remaining mages preparing another spell volley at them. She'd dropped her back on the hill, and she was out of arrows. She was helpless.

But Byleth wasn't. He rose, a look of dark fury on his face as he did so.

_**THUNK! **_

_**Boom! **_

_**Boom! **_

The lead magic-user went down with an arrow to the neck, the other two were blown off their feet by fireballs. It was so sudden that Bernadetta and Byleth had to take a second to realize what had happened.

"Yo! Professor! Bernie! You guys alright?!"

"Byleth! Byleth! Are you and your student still alive?!"

Surprisingly, or not, Edelgard was the first to reach the sight of the battle. Her jaw fittingly dropped at what she saw. Claude and Alois came up beside her, panting and ready for a fight, but what they saw was a scene they never could have expected. Alois looked ready to fall off of his horse while Claude merely whistled at the scene. Perhaps he was the only one in the entire approaching group who kept something close to a straight face.

Even Hubert's eyes widened as he came upon the sight with the others. They narrowed once he spied the still struggling Caphis, now making a reach for his sword. In a heartbeat, the dark-haired student on standing over the bandit leader, his foot planted over his still usable left hand. A single gaze told Caphis that if he tried anything, he'd lose use of that arm too. "Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. That is if you have any plans on further living."

While the rest of the search party fanned out to secure the area, Edelgard, Claude and Alois jogged toward them. Trailing behind them were Dorothea, Caspar, and Linhardt.

"Bernie! You're alright? Goddess, please tell me you're alright!" Cried the hat-wearing commoner as she practically swept up the younger girl in a bear-hug. One she didn't really ask for.

"We heard you shouting Bernadetta's name, we assumed the worst and…" Edelgard began before stopping to look around. "Professor, exactly what happened here?"

Gently, the young archer pulled herself free of Dorothea's embrace. It wasn't that she didn't like it, it was just unexpected, which was not what she needed at the moment. To calm herself, she fell back to the one place she'd begun to feel comfortable.

Byleth stared at the purple-haired noble. In turn, she stared back at him. "Things went a bit…off script, as you can all probably see."

"B-But we handled ourselves!"

"Bernadetta saved my life."

"HUH?!" Cried several.

"N-No I didn't! Y-You saved mine, P-Professor!"

"Ah, so you both looked out for each other? That's great!" Proclaimed the leader of the Golden Deer house hoisting his bow across his shoulder. "From what I hear, you're quite a shut-in, Bernie! Looks like our professor managed to shake that habit, didn't he?"

It would have been easy for her to hide behind Byleth and let him do all the talking; a stray glance at him told her that's what he was expecting.

Bernadetta chose to act out. "Y-Yeah…yeah, y-you could…say something like that." She looked back at the dirty-faced teacher, the same man who'd at one point terrified her a fair bit more than most people.

When he smiled at her, she couldn't help but smile back. Terror had now turned to something else, something warm and soothing.

* * *

"I'm sorry again about today."

It was probably the tenth time he'd apologized. Personally, Bernadetta was starting to find it a bit annoying, and she let it show. "Look, it's okay. T-T-Things h-happened, a-a-and besides, i-it wasn't so bad."

Thankfully, they were right at the door to her room when they stopped. Just like the day before, the sun was shining on a warm evening at the academy. Speaking of the academy, it had been abuzz since their return. Unfortunately for her, that made her something of a walking torch light. She was grateful that they'd been ferried to the infirmary upon their return. From there, Byleth had proceeded to answer most of the questions. They even got a visit from Lady Rhea herself towards the end.

After that, they'd hit the dining hall just as they'd originally intended. Byleth and Bernadetta weren't exactly sure, but something told the both of them that Edelgard and perhaps even Claude and Dimitri had advised their respective classmates to leave the pair alone. It was a gesture they appreciated.

"I…can say…this has probably been one of the most exciting days of my life." Admitted the archer as she leaned against the doorway. "There were plenty of times I was scared out of my mind, but I'm still here…and I'm happy I went through it all. Is that normal?"

Byleth at least gave her a light smile. "Depends, if you go to sleep tonight and have any nightmares, just let me know, alright?"

"And…if I don't?" She nervously asked.

"Then…you're…a lot tougher than anyone originally gave you credit for." Answered back the teacher. No longer was he leaping or groaning in discomfort. And he finally had one some decent clothing. "Bernadetta,"

"I don't wanna leave the monastery, not anymore." She spoke first. "I-I mean i-it's not like I'm probably ever going to do something like make the top ten list of anything, but I'm…having fun here. I'm enjoying myself."

"Does this mean that I can expect to see you around more often?" Joked the teal-haired teacher.

Her face morphed into her cute pout. "Let's not push it. I'm going to be in my room for the rest of the day to recover from the mess the last two days have been." The frown suddenly transformed into a smile. "But after that I…um…I owe you something."

"Come again?"

"I-I mean, I…I want to pay you back somehow. No one's ever gone so far for me, and you…um…Professor Byleth,"

"If you want…" _Goddesses, I can't believe I'm about to do this. _"You can just call me by my name. I don't have a problem with it."

"Okay then, Byleth." She seemed to like calling him by his name. Quickly, she looked to her left and right, noting the surprisingly lack of people. It looked like she was in the clear. "Before, when you were talking about plans I implied you were the villain. You're not, you're the hero. In fact, you're…well…you're my hero."

She'd hung around Caspar and Dorothea for too long. Why else would she do something so out of character for her as to lean up and press her lips against his cheek. Such a reckless and emotional act was something they would do, not her. But Bernadetta was trying to change herself, if only by a little bit.

Stunned, Byleth stared down at the blushing girl, his hand going to his cheek where her lips had been. A part of him would have liked it if her lips had remained there. Or if they'd touched his own.

"Hm, sounds like someone's found their new favorite student, and someone their favorite teacher." Sothis chimed in a sing-song voice.

Desperate to respond to Bernadetta's actions, Byleth blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "T-The next you go book-shopping I'll go with you! I-If I'm off-duty!"

"Y-You will?"! Squeaked the younger student.

Dumbfounded, Byleth nodded his head. His mind could barely comprehend the words he'd just spoken.

But they were enough for Bernadetta. In a single breath, she opened her door, slid behind it, and then slammed it shut leaving Byleth standing there looking like an idiot. Seconds later, the door slid open.

"Thank you, Byleth, and I'll…see you then." Then the door clicked shut.

Slowly, the teacher's face ticked upward into a smile. It was a shame that no one was around to see it as not many had seen the new professor smile in such a way. Then again, one could say that just made it all the more special.

"Is the modern term for this outing a…date?" Sothis questioned as she walked alongside Byleth.

"Um, well…let's just call it student-teacher bonding." Responded the human scratching his head in a show of nervousness. When he agreed to teach at the academy, a moment like this wasn't exactly what Byleth had expected. But as he knew, it were the unexpected things in life that made it dangerous…and extraordinary.

* * *

"Holy cow! Our teacher got a date! With one of the shy shut-ins, who'd have thought! Hey, Edelgard, you feel like giving them any advice?" Laughed the future leader of the Leicester Alliance.

Unlike her tanned-skinned counterpart, Edelgard wasn't laughing. In fact, she was gaping like a fish out of water. She'd begrudgingly agreed to go with Claude out of concern for Bernadetta's well-being. What she'd gotten was more than she'd bargained for. Her cheeks now had a light pink tinge to them, something that didn't go unnoticed by the yellow-clad archer.

"Ah, someone's feeling jealous, eh?" Claude jabbed.

"N-N-No! O-O-Of course not! W-W_Why in the goddess' name would I be jealous! B-Besides, t-t-this is just going to be a teacher-student b-b-bonding session, n-no different from what Professor Byleth has had with the rest of us! Right, Dimitri?" Defended the future empress.

Like her, the future king of Faerghus was blushing, albeit a much brighter shade. He too had come long with the cause being his concern for their professor and Bernadetta, even if she wasn't a member of his house. "I-I-I…I shouldn't have done this! I shouldn't have witnessed such a thing!" Cried the blond with a comical panicked expression.

Claude playfully rolled his eyes. "Geez, it was just a peck on the cheek. It's not like they went further…or do either of you _wish _they'd gone further?"

Finally, Edelgard's face turned full beat red while Dimitri's grew several shades darker. In unison they yelled, "WHAT?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND, CLAUDE?!"

"Not so loud, okay?" He gestured with his fingers. "Bernie's room is just down that way; you want her to hear us so she'll know we were spying on her?"

"W-W-We weren't spying, you were the one spying!" Cried Edelgard jabbing a finger at the curly-haired heir while her blue-clad counterpart raked his hands through his hair.

The ever-watchful archer of course, had a comeback. "But you guys joined me, so technically speaking, you were spying on them with me."

Edelgard's expression further fell, meanwhile, Dimitri literally fell, his back sliding against the wall as he seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Why did we agree to this again?"

"Because we were all worried about our dear and ever-so-charmingly stone-faced teacher." Answered Claude with a hearty laugh. "Now, about this up-incoming date…anyone feel like tagging along to see how it goes?"

Upon hearing his words, the future empress and king snapped their heads to the tan-skinned archer, their jaws still agape and their eyes wide. In return, all the archer did was continue to grin at them. If nothing else, let it never be said that Claude Von Riegan was a bold man.

And as one purple-haired shut-in could attest, boldness was infectious.

* * *

**Pretty open-ended, isn't it? Well, I may return to this one after Three Houses comes out and I have something a bit more concrete to work with. **

**It's been pretty established that Byleth is a stoic, but I feel it could likely be chalked up to having grown up on the battlefield and seen many gruesome things from a young age. Stuff like that tends to leave a mark on some people so coming to a place of peace and quiet and getting to meet new people might do some good in defrosting him/her which was what I decided to go with. It would also give them an insight into working with different people which partially explains the teaching job they're given. It also means they'll value actions over things like pretty words and lofty titles. **

**The next Three Houses story I do will without a doubt be after the game's come out…and I'll see how badly the caste gets emotionally steam-rolled when everything goes to shit. Until then!**


End file.
